The Cute Blonde and her Black Belt Crush
by ManlikeBanjos
Summary: Kimberly Crawford's desperate attempts to woo everyone's favorite karate kid.


Now, Kimberly Crawford had never been one of those mushy girls. She didn't sit at lunch tables gossiping about the newest haircut of some hot guy, she wasn't one of those girls who went to parties just to hook up with guys, and she never, ever, ever daydreamed about guys.

"Kim…Kim?...KIM! Stay with me here!" Jerry snapped his fingers in front of Kim's face, and she snapped back to attention. It took her a moment to gather her bearings; she had been watching Jack do pull-ups and had begun to…daydream. Oh God. Her face burned up with shame as she turned her attention back up to Jerry.

"I was just explaining to you why Cheetos are better when they're a month old!" Jerry exclaimed indignantly, and Kim made a face in disgust.

"Eww! Jerry, please don't…that isn't…just, eww." Kim watched as Jerry walked away, shoulders slumped, and she felt kinda bad she had dismissed him so bluntly. But then Eddie walked into the dojo, and he ran over, undoubtedly to talk about expired puffs of cheese, and she felt fine.

Immediately and subconsciously, her eyes immediately fell back on Jack as he began beating on a dummy. Kim's eyebrows furrowed as she read the determined lines in his face, the clenched muscles in his arms. She was much too familiar with Jack to not read the obvious signs. She got up slowly, straightened her purple blouse that she knew he liked, her hair sculpted into a purposely messy bun that he had commented on last week, her eye-shadow perfectly selected to make her eyes mirror the warm, chocolate brown in his eyes. She walked over to Jack's dummy, but he didn't notice her approach.

"Jack?" She asked softly. He delivered three quick kicks to the torso and didn't notice her. Huffing, she jumped in front of the dummy and caught his follow-up punch with both of her hands, her fingertips cackling with electricity as they ran over his calloused knuckles.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Kim inquired, compassion laced into her voice. Jack again wouldn't look at her.

"Nothing, Kim. Just stupid stuff, I guess." He muttered noncommittally, and Kim took one hand off of Jack's to place it sassily on her hip and look at him expectantly. He shrugged and pulled his hand away. Kim's heart dropped.

"Just forget it, Kim." Jack said, walking away.

"Jack!" Kim reached for his shoulder, but Jack deflected her hand away and left the dojo, his feet stabbing into the ground, leaving Kim pathetically and utterly alone

"Well…if you need anything…I'd…I'd do it for you." Kim said, basically to herself.

She tried to draw her eyes away from the retreating boy, but was unable to do so. She simply stood there awkwardly, wishing she could run after him or call out, wishing she could admit to him something she couldn't even admit to herself. Wishing somehow, in some way, she could take away all of Jack's pain, wishing she could just take all of the burdens off of his shoulders and put them on her own. Wishing she could tell him how much he meant to her, how much everything he did influence her, how much he mattered to her.

God, she sounded like such a girl…maybe beating up some of the boys would make her feel better, she thought as Jack left her sight and she retreated back into the dojo

Half an hour later, she had dispatched of Milton, Jerry, and Eddie with much vigor, but it had done nothing to lighten her heavy heart. She missed Jack's warm presence. Resigning to the reality that Jack's bad mood was just gonna make her sad as well, she packed her bags and left the dojo, preparing for a grueling night of homework and cheerleading practice, paired with absolutely no texts from Jack…it wasn't gonna be a fun night.

A frazzled Kim was walking out of cheerleading when her phone buzzed…it wouldn't have been any of her friends from cheerleading, they're all still here…her parents were in the car, waiting for her…could it be…

Milton. Ugh.

She didn't even go to open it at first, but figured that would be unfair to a loyal friend, so she grudgingly opened the text.

'Hey Kim…uh, Jack's skipping rocks at the duck pond on Wallace Street, Eddie and I saw him when we biked by. He probably isn't too mad anymore, just in case you were wondering. '

Kim's face lit up and she smiled widely.

'Milton, I owe you. Thank you so much!:)'

She ran to her car and convinced her parents to be dropped off at the pond, and stepped out of the car to see the familiar back of Jack's head. She stepped forward again, straightened her blouse and checked her messy bun, just as she had before. She stepped forward and watched Jack's rock go bouncing along the surface of the water.

She swallowed quickly, wringing her hands nervously.

"Jack?"


End file.
